Research Article: Prevalence and Associated Factors of Dental Caries in Syrian Immigrant Children Aged 6–12 Years
Abstract:
Immigrant children are among the groups that are sensitive to problems related to dental health. The aim of this study was to examine the dental caries of Syrian immigrant children. The study is a descriptive and retrospective study. Its population consists of Syrian immigrant children aged 6–12 years who were screened for dental health in the year 2022 in Istanbul. DMF-T (permanent teeth) and dmf-t (milk teeth) indices were used, which are the (t-T) criteria obtained by dividing the sum of caries (d-D), caries extracted (m-M) and caries-filled (f-F) teeth by the number of people examined. Higher dmft and DMFT scores indicate worse dental health. Dental screening was performed on 549 Syrian immigrant children. In total, 27.2% (n = 149) were brushing their teeth once a day and 97.3% of the children (n = 534) had at least one decayed tooth. The dmft score for the 6–7 year age (6.45 ± 3.33) group was significantly higher than the 8–9 year (4.98 ± 2.78) and 10–12 year (3.22 ± 2.02) age groups (p < 0.001). In our study, the dental caries were seen at a very-high frequency among immigrant children and the habit of tooth brushing remains at a low level. Lower age was the relevant factor for dental caries in our study.
Introduction:
Oral health, which is responsible for the well-being of general health and quality of life, is also one of the priority health areas of the World Health Organization [1]. Children are among the groups that are sensitive to problems related to oral and dental health [2]. Oral and dental health problems seen in school-age children generally include dental caries, gum diseases, dislocations, trauma and injuries [3]. Dental caries, which constitute an important part of oral and dental health diseases, are a common…
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